Rising star George Hamilton had just made Where the Boys Are, which was a smash hit, but, according to his memoirs, hewas determined to make “better, more serious movies”, in part to impress his family of his then-girlfriend Susan Kohner, who has a cameo in the film.

The film was a commercial failure, partly because it suffered in comparison to the far better and similarly-themed, Elmer Gantry, starring Burt Lancaster in his Oscar winning performance.